Tubular ice-machine



Dec. 22, 1953 G. TREPAUD TUBULAR ICE-MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 28, 1951 lllll! A llllllllulll .lnallllllnl. IIII llllllll.

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3 Sheet s-Sheet 2 Filed Feb; 28, 1951 Dec. 22, 1953 G. TREFI'AUD 7 2,653,162

TUBULAR ICE-MACHINE Filed Feb. 28, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ||||||'l I lllllllllllll 4 IN vs/vm e:

Patented Dec. 22, 1953 Georges Trpaud, Paris, France, assignor to The Society Refroidisseur Trepaud S. A. R. L., Paris, France, a corporation of France Application February 28, 1951, Serial No. 213,203 7 Claims priority, application France March 1, 1950 The invention relates to an apparatus for the manufacture of ice'in cylindrical moulds of a small diameter, bathing externally in arefrig The tubular ice-machine, according to the present invention, is characterized in that it is provided with a cylindrical elongated casing comprising two watertight cross partitions by means of which said casing is separated in three compartments, in the central compartment, a large central tube and 'a plurality of freezing pipes, the lower and upper ends of which are fitted in the two partitions, connecting thereby the two extreme compartments, a driving shaft, the axis of which coincides with the axis of the central tube, a screw fastened on said shaft to secure a continuous flow of the water to be congealed in the closed circuit constituted by the central tube, the two extreme compartments and the freezing pipes, a piping for the refrigerating' fluid, a piping for the defrosting fluid,

means to connect at least partially the ,annular space provided between the casing, the central tube and the two cross partitions successively with said two pipings.

As examples, two' embodiments of the invention are described hereafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, using cold'br ine as a; refrigerating fluid.

The Figure 1 is a vertical section along the axis of the first embodiment.

The Fig. 2 is a vertical section along the axis of the second embodiment.

The Figs. 3 and 4 show diagrammatically the circuits for the cold brine and for the tepid respectively. I

The first embodiment (Fig. 1) includes a verbrine, in the first and the second embodiments;

tical-cylindric'al casing .l' and an opened central tubev 2, having preferably an insulating wall, between which is formed an annular space, lim ited at the upper and lower, ends'by plates 3, 4, in which the cold brine enters through the lower duct 5 and comes out through the upper duct 6. This annular space is equipped with small freezing. pipes 1 opening over. the plate 3 and underneath the plate 4 andwith 'baflIes-B of the type described in' the French Patent- No. 797,552, granted to the same inventor, said 5 Claims. (Cl. 62-106) baffles forming an helical circuit'around the central tube 2. Theiextreme 'plates' of' this system of baflles are not cut to allow the flow of the brine and form two watertight walls or false baffles 3' and 4' limiting at the top and bottom of the annular space two intervals in which the cold brinewill not flow, but which communicate'through the ducts 5', 6' with .a tepid brine circuit and through theducts 5" and B" with the portion of the annular space within'the false baffles 3', 4.

I The vertical cylinder I bears a cover 12 having a duct I3 for the water inlet and a duct .14 for the flowing out of the water when the freez ing takes place whilst, at the lower portionbf the cylinder I, the small pipes 1 open, likethe central tube 2, in a removable connection bottom 15 hearing a. discharge valve I6. In addition, the central tube 2 is equipped, at its base, with a check valve l1 made of a flat and very light disc, whilst a screw l8, fast, axially with the central tube 2, on a shaft I9, is driven by a motor 2| disposed over the cover l2, equipped with a stuffing box 2!: the revolving direction of the screw is such that a forced ascending flow in the central tube 2 and a forced descending flow in the freezing pipes l are created, in countercurrent with the brine flow.

The apparatus works as follows: 'the pipes l are filled with water. As the'surfaces of the bafiles are very close to'each other, the brine will flow upwards, with a great speed but a small output, in directions substantially perpendicularto the small freezing pipes I, thus collecting the best conditions for a fast freezing of the water, with a small difference of temperature between the brineand the Water, and without any danger of bursting the pipes. A core freezing; giving compact ice cylinders becomes possible. i It is,'of course, possible to stop the freezing process'a' little soonerto obtain hol-' low cylinders of ice. As the cold brine cannot enter in the ext'remefpartitions, the freezing of the'waterat' the ends of the pipes 1 is'notcomplete", no ice is deposited onthe' plates 3 and ternal face of the freezing pipes 1, during. the

cooling of the water, or in contact with the ice layer in formation, when. the freezin has begun U v I 7 h.

When all the pipes are choked by me plugs.

3 the screw keeps on to stir the water of the central tube 2 or, in an alternate embodiment, the engine is automatically stopped, through a device of a known type.

The removal of the ice is carried on by opening the discharge valve l6, dismounting the removable bottom l5 and sending tepid brine in contact with the crest of pipes through the ducts 5, 6', and the ducts 5", 6", in the whole annular space between the plates 3 and 4.

The check valve l'l keeps in the central tube 2 I the water which it contains. The water of the upper part of the apparatus "and 'theice melting water can be collected to fill, through a, pump, the freezing pipes I.

In Fig. 3, the evaporator 22" produces :cold

brine by means of a primary refrigeratingfluid such as ammonia. The cold brine circuit is connected to the tubular ice-machine through thepipes 5 and '6. This cold brine circuit comprises two valves 23,. 24'anda pump 3! circulating the cold brine throughitheaiceimachine. Tl'lecir-v cult of: tepid brine, used for thawingztheice bars produced intheice-m'achine to allow same to be=discharged therefrom; is connected to the icemachine through i ducts 5; 6* and comprises valves 25; Zt and a. tank 21,: preferably under head. and freelyropening" in the. atmosphere hrough lani-expansion container 28, the same pump 3|-=:serving 'totcirculate'the tepid brine as I well as the cold brine as .will'betexplained hereafter. In :the tank 2'l'are1arranged two coils 29, .the first2-coil..29,-- -in which flows the filling water. of th'erice-machine, .isconnected at one handxto a water supplvandat theother hand,

to this latter through duct (I 3 .feeding .the water tobeifrozen to the iuppercompartment of the casing -.l, the filling watenbeing thus precooled due :to .thecontact between the J coil v2!; and the brine 'initank 21,. which'in its turn isheated to a temperature sufficient for thawing 1 purpose, for-"instance +5'i C. The reheating-of the brine for thawing purposeib'ecomes thereby costless :as it'allows theheat lost due to the melting of .icebars during the discharging thereof to-'be recovered forprecooling the filling water;

The second .coil;:30 l arrangedinrthetank- 21 is connected at oneshandizo the'compressor 'cone denserxdlliof :the'evap'oratorl2,-v i. e. to the-liquid: circuit :ofi the primary' refrigerating fluid;

an'dzat the other handtothe evaporator 22; said.

condensed: refrigerating: fluidflowing through the coil 30 also contributing to reheatthebrine. The operation of: the 1 device is 'as follows During :the freezing :ph'ase in the ice-machine I, the :valves 13;; 24 iare-:;opened-.. and the valves 25.26 closed, sothatithepump 3| circulates through the ice-machine I the cold brine com-'. ing from the evaporator 22. Inversely, during the thawing and discharging-phase, the valves 23 and 24 areiclosedxth'e valves25 and 526 opened, and

the pump?! circulates through thence-machine l thetepid brine coming-from the tankizln The second embodiment (Fig. 2) j'includesalso a vertical cylindrical. casing I, a central tube'2 and small. freezing p-ipesset in watertight plates 3 and 4. Bailles Barearranged roundthe central tube. [to supplying for. the cold brine,

entering through 5 land 'flowing out through -6, a substantially helical path.v Two watertight plates 3, 4' limit'twmeXtreme intervals corn.- municating. through the .ducts5, 5'. with-.a.-cir-. cuit of tepid brine .andthroughthe ducts 5 '6 with the main median part included between the plates 3' and if bodiment, the valve 11 must be'suppressedz. The water contained in the central tube -2 iisJsimply;

4 On the other hand, the upper cover l2 has no stuffing box: the shaft I9 of the screw I8 is just surrounded with a plunger tube 32 equipped with small blades 33 and integral with the cover [2. This arrangement is possible since the screw I8 turns in such a direction that it creates a descending flow in the central tube 2 .and an ascending flow in the freezingpipes I.- The pressure of the circulating water is in fact much higher at the inlet of the freezing pipes I as at the'exhaust, whilst the loss of head in the central tube 2 is practically negligible. The pressure at theinlet in'the pipes can even reach 2 meters of 'water'when the pipes are closed by the ice. In the first embodiment (Fig. 1), said pressure'isappliedfat the top of the apparatus and ...a stuffing box becomes necessary. In the second'embodiment (Fig. 2), the said pressure is-- applied at the basis of the apparatus: the pressure at the top is very small and a stufiing box is not essential.

As the direction-of thefiow of the wate1-.to-

be congealed is inverted. in this second em.-

collected in' a vat and sent by means oi:- an ejector or .a-pump in an uppertank for-a-further filling of the apparatus; A -closing platee35 fat--v cilitates the fast openingeotthe bottom-ref the refrigerator.

The circulating direction of the brines-has not been inverted as the direction ofthe-water tc be congealed, since this apparatus provides forsuch:

a speed of the flow of'water in the pipes-:1 that the difierenoe of-the temperatures .of-=the :water at both ends of the-pipes .-.can .be negleetedeand the advantage of-acounterfiow becomes neg-j ligible.

. The Figurelashows diagrammatically theicir s cuit of the. brines inthis secondembodiments. The circuit of 'coldbrine includessa 'tank .-.3 51-and: a pump 31: also-the circuitoftepid .brine'haswa.

tank 38 andapump 39:- the reheatinggcoilsare suppressed, the temperature exchange between the-brine to'be reheated and the :fillingrwaterto be precooled-being performed in the-tubular ice-.. machine itselfdue .to the double circulation :of:

the water in thefreezingtubes :and-of' therbrinein the central annularschamber ofthe=-iceemae chine .l whereinrsaidtubes are arranged.

During the freezing, the ductsi-5, fiecommuni-r cate with thecircuit of cold brine of theevaporator-cooler 22, thepump -31.-being operated and: the pump-.39 stopped. For theme-removals the:

pump 31 is stopped and the pump 39 -'is:started:= the tepid .br-ine' circulatessin the: annular space and gives up caloriesrto the-ice. removal, the refrigerator is filled. anew, the pump 39 is kept running and-.thempumpJ-ST:stoppedu After. a very short while,:the :filling waterihas heated the tepid-brine toa temperature 'sufli'cien't for the next ice removal: the :pump. 39'isistoppled and the pump 3'! started.

7 It mustloe :noted -=that,ialthough: thertwonembodiments of the invention;:descr-ibedi as zexain ples, use thebrine as :a cooling fl-uidg the invention applies also to 5a'itubular refrigerator using the direct expansion -of a refrigerating"fluid-such as ammonia.

What I claim'is l. Tubular ice-machine, 'providedw'ith a cylin drical elongated casing -comprising two water tight cross partitions -by means of 'wh'ich sa-i'd cas-= ing :is separated in ".threevcompartments, in the central. compartment :atlargexzcentral .tubeandoai.

After 1111629103 plurality'of freezing pipes, the lower and upper ends of which are fitted the two partitions connecting thereby the two extreme compartments, a driving shaftfthe" axis of which coincides with the axis of the central tube, a screw fastened on said shaft to secure. a continuous flow of the water'to be congealed in the 'closed circuit'constituted' 'by'the central 'tube,,the two extreme compartments and the'freezing pipes, a piping for the refrigerating-fluid, a piping for the thawing fluid, means to connect the annular space provided between the casing, the central tube andthe two cross partitions successively with i W iPm 9 9 123. 3% lil l fig, in said annular space, two watertight walls supplementing at each end the watertight partitions in said compartments, inlet and outlet ducts provided at both ends of each of said compartments, the inlet and outlet ducts of the median compartment connecting said compartment with the piping for the refrigerating fluid and the inlet and outlet ducts of the three compartments connecting said compartments with the piping for the thawing fluid.

2. Tubular ice-machine, provided with a cylindrical elongated casing comprising two watertight cross partitions by means of which said casing is separated in three compartments, in the central compartment a large central tube and a plurality of freezing pipes, the lower and upper ends of which are fitted in the two partitions connecting thereby the two extreme compartments, a driving shaft, the axis of which coincides with the axis of the central tube, a screw fastened on said shaft to secure a continuous flow of the water to be congealed in the closed circuit constituted by the central tube, the two extreme compartments and the freezing pipes, a piping for the refrigerating fluid, a piping for the thawing fluid, means to connect the annular space provided between the casing, the central tube and the two cross partitions successively with said two pipings, helical baflles arranged in said annular space, two watertight walls supplementing at each end the watertight partitions in said compartments, inlet and outlet ducts provided at both ends of each of said compartments, the inlet and outlet ducts of the median compartment connecting said compartment with the piping for the refrigerating fiuid and the inlet and outlet ducts of the three compartments connecting said compartments with the piping for the thawing fluid, a piping for the filling water, a tank connected with the piping for the defrosting fluid, in said tank reheating coils forming a part of the piping for the filling water and means to connect at least partially the annular space provided between the casing, the central tube and the two cross partitions successively with said two pipings.

3. In a tubular ice-machine means for circulating in a closed circuit the liquid to be frozen flowing through the freezing tubes during the freezing process, said means comprising a vertical cylindrical casing provided with two transversal partitions whereby the casing is separated in three compartments, vertical freezing tubes arranged in the central compartment and having their upper and lower ends tightly fitted in said partitions respectively so as to freely open into the upper and lower compartments of the casing, means for feeding the liquid to be frozen to the upper compartment whereby said liquid is caused to flow under head through the freezing tubes, thereby completely filling the section thereof, a large central return tube arranged in the central compartment and having its upper and'lowei" compartment and the central return tube,- meansfor successively feeding a refrigerating land a thawing fluid to the annular chamber of the central compartment comprised between the central tube, the transversal partitions and the wall of thecasingw g 4. In a tubular ice-machine means for circulatingina closed circuit the. liquid to be frozen flowin'gthrough the freezingtubes during the freezing process, said means "comprising "a" vertical cylindrical casing provided with two transversal partitions whereby the casing is separated in three compartments, the lower compartment being provided with a removable bottom, vertical freezing tubes arranged in the central compartment and having their upper and lower ends tightly fitted in said partitions respectively so as to freely open into the upper and lower compartments of the casing, means for feeding the liquid to be frozen to the upper compartment whereby said liquid is caused to flow under head through the freezing tubes, thereby completely filling the section thereof, a large central return tube arranged in the central compartment and having its upper and lower ends tightly fitted in said partitions to connect the lower and upper compartment of the casing, a shaft arranged inside said return tube coaxially thereto, drivin means located outside the casing to rotate said shaft, a screw fastened on said shaft to provide a forced circulation of the liquid to be frozen in the closed circuit formed by the upper compartment, the freezing tubes, the lower compartment and the central return tube, a check valve provided at the lower end of the central tube to retain the liquid contained therein during the discharging of the ice formed in the freezing tubes and when the circulating screw is at rest and the bottom of the lower compartment is removed, means for successively feeding a refrigerating and a thawing fluid to the annular chamber of the central compartment comprised between the central tube, the transversal partition and the wall of the casing.

5. In a tubular ice-machine means for circulating in a closed circuit the liquid to be frozen r flowing through the freezing tubes during the freezing process, said means comprising a vertical cylindrical casing provided with two transversal partitions whereby the casing is separated in three compartments, vertical freezing tubes arranged in the central compartment and having their upper and lower ends tightly fitted in said partitions respectively so as to freely open into the upper and lower compartments of the casing, means for feeding the liquid to be frozen to the upper compartment, whereby said liquid is caused to flow under head through the freezing tubes, thereby completely filling the section thereof, a large central return tube arranged in the central compartment and having its upper and lower ends tightly fitted in said partitions to connect the lower and upper compartment of the casing, a shaft arranged inside said return tube coaxially thereto, driving means located outside the casing to rotate said shaft, a screw fastened on said shaft to providea ioreeet circulation of {the liquid; theirozen in :-the closed: circuit formed, .by ,the 1 upper compartment the freezing @tubes, thevlower compartment and the central retur-n tube, helicalbafflesnarranged inqthe. annular chamber .of the central compartment comprised between: thexcena of thawing ;fluid and means to successively con-v. nect saidductsxo said ,sources.=

GEORGESzTREPAU-Ds.

References Cited in the file of this'rpatent UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 490,475.. Holden ,Ja;n. 29,1893

Number.

Number Name. Date. Taylor. 1, 521213 22, 1936' Coons .Feb.,1,. 19.38 Voorheie May 23,...193Q. Kubaugh,.- r wMay 14,;1940 Wussow Nov. 12,1940 Gruner ,0ct.= 19,45. Mojonnier ,Feb. 23.31949 Villiger. ,,,May 3;] 19,49.

FOREIGNa-PATENTS'i- Country Date" Germany Ndvr25, 1903- GreaVBritain Feb.18; 1932 France May25;' 1927 

